Green pea soup with buttered croutons recipe

My grandmother made pea soup every fall, and it always started with a bag of dried peas that soaked overnight and simmered half the day. This one skips both. I cover freeze dried peas with hot water, and by the time the croutons are in the oven, most of the work is done.

It's a Tuesday dish that tastes like a Sunday one. The teenager put croutons on top like it was a salad bar and ate two bowls. The five year old ate the croutons and left the soup, which is about where we always land, but four out of six clean bowls is a good night here.

The pantry-powered advantage

This soup runs on the shelf. Freeze Dried Green Peas do nearly all of it. They plump up in about 10 minutes in hot water, and most of them go straight into the blender for the base. I hold back a handful to rehydrate on the side and float on top, so every bowl has something to bite into.

Powdered Vitamin Milk gives the base its creaminess without a run to the store. One tablespoon to half a cup of water, stirred in smooth, and you'd never guess it came from a can.

Powdered Vitamin Butter does double duty. A little goes in the pot for richness, and the rest is what I toss the bread cubes in before they toast. Buttered croutons with no stick of butter in the fridge.

Green pea soup with buttered croutons

Serves 6. About 30 minutes start to finish.

Ingredients:

For the soup:

• 2 1/2 cups Freeze Dried Green Peas
• 5 cups hot water, plus more for rehydrating
• 2 Tbsp Powdered Vitamin Milk plus 1 cup water (prepared)
• 2 Tbsp Powdered Vitamin Butter plus 1 tsp water (prepared)
• 1 small onion, chopped (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the croutons and garnish:

• 3 cups day-old bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 Tbsp Powdered Vitamin Butter plus 1 tsp water (prepared)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:

1. Rehydrate the peas. Put 2 1/2 cups Freeze Dried Green Peas in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let them sit 10 minutes until plump, then drain. Set aside a heaping half cup of whole peas for the top and keep the rest for the base.
2. Prepare the milk and butter. Stir 2 Tbsp Powdered Vitamin Milk into 1 cup water until smooth. Stir 2 Tbsp Powdered Vitamin Butter with 1 tsp water into a softened butter for the pot, and prepare the second 2 Tbsp Powdered Vitamin Butter with 1 tsp water for the croutons.
3. Start the base. In a pot over medium heat, melt the pot's butter and cook the onion and garlic if using, about 4 minutes, until soft and just golden.
4. Simmer. Add the drained peas (all but your reserved half cup), 5 cups hot water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 8 minutes so the flavors come together.
5. Blend. Take the pot off the heat. Blend until smooth, in batches or with an immersion blender. Stir in the prepared milk and warm it back through on low. It should coat the back of a spoon. Thin with a splash of hot water if it's too thick.
6. Toast the croutons. Toss the bread cubes with the prepared butter and 1/4 tsp salt. Spread on a sheet pan and bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing once, until golden and crisp. This is the one step that wants your eyes on it, since they go from toasted to too dark fast.
7. Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each with reserved whole peas, a handful of croutons, and a pinch of chopped parsley.

Tips for green pea soup success

• Make the base ahead and keep it in the fridge up to three days. It thickens as it sits, so loosen it with hot water when you reheat.
• Freeze half in a flat bag and you've got a lunch on the worst night of the month. Toast fresh croutons the day you eat it so they stay crisp.
• For a heartier bowl, stir in a cup of rehydrated Freeze Dried Mixed Vegetables before you blend, or leave them whole for texture.
• A squeeze of lemon or a little grated cheese on top wakes the whole bowl up.

The final take: green on the worst night

Powdered Vitamin Milk carries the cream here, and Freeze Dried Green Peas carry the rest. Keep a can on the shelf and you can put a hot, honest bowl in front of six people while the week does whatever it wants.